In recent times, Afghanistan team has grabbed a lot of eyeballs with their exploits in limited-overs cricket against various opponents. Players like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi making their country proud by playing in various Twenty20 leagues around the world.

However, the Afghani team was much elated when they become the newest full ICC member by earning the tag of the Test playing nation. The board’s top officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)are confident that the team can hold its own against the top Test side in the world.

Afghanistan and Ireland gained Test status in June last year. While the Irish team will play their debut Test against Pakistan at Malahide in May, the Afghans will do so against India in Bengaluru between June 14-18.

Also read: Afghanistan to play their debut Test in Bengaluru

And the top officials of ACB reckon they have enough talent coming through the ranks to become a competitive member of the international Test family pretty soon. On Tuesday, talking about the same, ACB’s CEO, Shafiq Asmat Stanikzai said, “We have a lot of good junior players emerging in our country. It is raw talent which needs polish and exposure. We aim to become a competitive Test side in the next three years.”

Afghanistan players like Nabi and Rashid were the first players from their country to appear in the Indian Premier League (IPl) when they brought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for last year’s edition. They are also featuring in the ongoing Big Bash League in Australia, while Nabi is playing for Melbourne Renegades, Rashid is playing for Adelaide Strikers. But Stanikzai reckons Afghanistan have it in them to excel in the multi-day format.

Taking about their chances in Test cricket, Stanikzai said, “We have won the ICC Intercontinental Cup twice, and were runners-up once. We have a functional first-class system back home and a pool of 170 full-time players. Facing India in our first Test will be a mighty challenge, but we are confident of providing them good preparation for the tour of England on which they will embark on soon afterward.”

The visitors are also likely to have a preparatory camp and one or more practice matches in India before the Test. It is likely to be Afghanistan’s only Test match before the ICC World Cup 2019, which will soon be the major focus for them. They will be featuring in the 10-team qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in March, from which the top two will advance to the cricket showpiece in England.

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Afghanistan has not been able to get the benefits of the home conditions as India has often been their home base, recently at Greater Noida. The ACB has requested BCCI for another venue which it can use to stage its ‘home’ matches.

Talking about the same, ACB’s CEO said, “Not playing at home is a major setback for us. We are not able to showcase the Afghan flavor of cricket. We have hosted some matches in the UAE, but it suits us more to have the games in India as it costs less and the conditions are to our liking. Always playing away is a challenge. However, all our senior players participate in our domestic competitions, which allow the local fans to watch their heroes in action and also inspire the upcoming cricketers.”